Blessed is the Man

I personally don’t know any man who doesn’t want to be
blessed in his marriage, family, work, destiny. We strive to live a blessed
life – we strive at work and we strive at play to add meaning to our lives. We
are forever in search of a fulfilling life. Nobody gets up in the morning
looking for trauma, hardship, or disappointment. Often, though, that’s how life
seems to turn out. The question is: what are we doing wrong?

Psalm 1:1 (NKJV) says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in
the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the
seat of the scornful.” Could it be that we are taking our counsel from the
ungodly? Today’s culture is full of “experts”, experts in marriage, experts in
child rearing, experts in finances, experts in education, politics and on and
on. Given the choice of wisdom from God or wisdom from the world, where do we turn
first? To the Bible or the internet? To the church or to the psychologist or
psychiatrist with a PHD?

We live in a world of unlimited information, most of which
is at the tips of our fingers. Our phones have become a virtual library of
information, filled with the philosophies of men and endless theories, proven
and unproven, designed to keep us in search of the “perfect life”. We also have
the proven word of God that addresses every aspect of life, filled with promise
and direction, designed to provide us with the path to a fulfilled life.

There are two paths to walk. One takes us away from God and
into destruction. Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV): “There is a way that seems right to a
man, but its end is the way of death.” The other path keeps us safe. Proverbs
16:17 (ESV): “The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards
his way preserves his life.”

Whatever path we choose to walk probably begins with where
we take counsel and direction for our lives. If you are like me, you have a
thirst for knowledge. I want to know what’s going on around the world. My view
of what’s important has expanded with my instant access to the 24-hour, global
news sources. Without a doubt, given the time, I will spend hours a day
collecting information, much of it benign, but most of it followed up by
ungodly counsel, specifically designed to shape my opinions and worldview.

The world we live in is designed to make us dissatisfied
with all aspects of our lives, whether it’s the news media, movies, or social
media. Take an inventory, what are you thankful for and what do you find
lacking? Social media provides you with the ability to stay connected with
hundreds or even thousands of people. Do you spend hours a day looking at other
people’s new cars, new houses, family vacations, dinner dates? Do you post
something and then check back to see how many “likes” you get? Do you feel
obligated to post every new thing you purchase or every meal you eat, hoping
for a positive response?

The problem with starting with ungodly counsel is that
eventually man’s wisdom consumes your thought processes and directs you down a
path that finds you standing with the sinners in life’s conflicts and gradually
to a point where you are sitting with the scornful. None of us are immune to
it. That’s why today we have churches that teach there is no hell. If there is
no hell, there is no heaven. If there is no heaven or hell, there is no God or
Satan. Check your counsel, check the path you are on.

Where we invest our time will determine the quality of life
we live. I am not suggesting that you disconnect from life. I am suggesting
that you evaluate where you take counsel. How much time do you spend in the
Bible? Where do you go for counsel to life’s daily challenges? Which path are
you on – the one that seems right by man’s standards, or God’s standard?

Psalm 1 continues with verse 2-3 (NKJV): “but his delight is
in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its
season, whose leaves also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall
prosper.” God clearly tells us how to live a blessed life. It’s not what I say, it’s what God says!

Practical 30 day challenge: Limit your time connected to your phone, computer, TV. Try reading just headlines instead of every story. Shut down your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat for 30 days. Start your morning in search of wisdom. Proverbs has 31 Chapters – read one chapter of Proverbs every day. Find out who the Author of life is. Start by reading one chapter of the book of John every day. Evaluate your anxiety and satisfaction levels at the end of 30 days.

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